A Painful Past
by CentiSpiderFanGirl1
Summary: Hopefully I've improved on my writing skills. This takes place at a night during the journey. Butterfly confesses to James and Centipede about her past. The first ones she truly told the whole story to. I only own my OC Butterfly.


One night at the peach, Butterfly woke up by herself. She woke up from a nightmare that keeps haunting her. Her past. Her painful, dark past. Every time her past comes into her mind, her heart starts hurting. The memories of feeling no love. The memories of hardly having interaction. The feeling of being alone.

"It- it can not be it again..," she said to herself as she woke up. "It must be forgotten. It just must."

She thought nobody has heard her but that was incorrect. Almost everyone was asleep on the peach except Centipede, who was outside the peach. And James heard Butterfly's voice and woke up by himself without her noticing. Butterfly then sighs and goes outside the peach and Centipede notices her.

"Hey Butterfly," he said. "Awake?"

Butterfly just sighs and nods. "I have just woken up."

Centipede noticed that she was whipping tears and even if he wasn't exactly comfortable talking to her, he decided to.

"Hey.." he said. "What's wrong?"

Butterfly just looks up with him and forces herself to smile, even if she was feeling pain. "Oh nothing is wrong! Everything is just fine."

She felt uncomfortable about lying, even to someone like Centipede. He did notice it was a lie just by looking at her face speechless. Just as that happened, James quietly comes out of the peach.

"Miss Butterfly?" James spoke up. "Are you okay? I noticed you woke up and wanted to know if you were okay."

Butterfly looked from Centipede to James and then back at Centipede again. She didn't want to lie to them. Not lie to anyone. She will try to find the time to tell the rest of the bugs about her past when they make it to New York. But it seemed she had to tell James and Centipede now.

"Everything is not fine." Butterfly confessed. "I had a nightmare about my past and woke up."

"About that...," James said. "How was your past like?"

"I could not talk about it...," Butterfly sighed. "Never would I want to. It haunts me a lot."

"All I know is your parents and siblings are dead." Centipede said. "Tell us."

"Please?" James begged.

Butterfly had to confess. She couldn't hold it inside herself because it was painful. She decided to confess.

"I shall tell you my story." she began. "I was born in Italy with having two parents and many sisters. I was loved when I was a little caterpillar but as I started to grow up, I wanted to be independent. My family has tried to make me what I am not."

"What do you mean?" James asked. "What did they try to do to you?"

"Well it was mainly my father. He is the only male in my family. Male butterfly he was. He felt insulted by being this type of species because they are known as weak and delicate. My father was made fun of for that his whole life. He could not take it anymore and wanted to be proven to be tough rather than what our species truly is. He was the type to take risks by almost getting himself and the rest of us killed multiple times. For example, we were almost eaten by birds."

James was a bit confused. "But Butterfly.. you're not like any butterfly anyone has seen before. You're brave, you know how to be tough as can be and you prove yourself to be more than just a beautiful creature. How are you different from your father if you're like that?"

Butterfly understood his question and continued. "I know I am that way but.. I did not want to be that way. I did not mind being a regular monarch butterfly. Unlike my father, I was happy with who I was. But he, my mother and sisters all forced me into being what I am not. Different, I may say."

"How were your mother and sisters like?" James asked.

"Well for mother...," Butterfly began. "She did not care about me. Ever since I wanted to be independent and be who I was on the inside, she showed no support. She payed attention to my older sisters more than myself. She acted as I was invisible."

"Not a real mom if you ask me." Centipede said.

"Correct you are..," Butterfly hated to admit it, but did. "But believe it or not.. she was the closest to loving me in my past."

James and Centipede gasps. That doesn't make any sense. Not showing any support and choosing siblings over her and yet, the closest to loving her?

"But.. she didn't show you support." James said.

"I know. She was that way because she was so madly in love with my father that when she saw me with my father, she thought I was being an ignorant brat to him while he was being the 'good' one and that I deserved to be scolded. She was awful to me but she was better than my father and sisters were." Butterfly said. "She ignored me, but she did not treat me as if I was nothing unlike them. My sisters all called me names and said they were better than me. Older, smarter, stronger, more courageous. They were who made father proud. They wanted to be like him, unlike me. They wanted to prove butterflies are not weak and delicate."

"But they're females though." James said. "Unlike your father."

"I know, but father raised them to think like he did." Butterfly said. "For some reason, I do not know why, but it did not work on me. My father was mad and disappointed in me every second of every day. He called me worthless and useless. He treated my sisters like prizes and me as if I was garbage. Father and I were too different to understand each other."

James sighed. "I'm sorry Miss Butterfly. Did you at least have friends?"

Butterfly hated that question, but decides to answer. "No dear James. I had no friends. My family never let me interact with anybody in my past. I wanted to meet others and get to know them, I wanted a friend a lot. But every time I try looking for one.. father would stop me and tell me no one in this world will ever want to get to know me. No one will ever like me. He treated me as if I was a monster that everyone would want to get away from."

James just realized why Butterfly had nerves about getting to New York. She was excited about it but at the same time, secretly feeling doubtful about it. James noticed by the way she acted that she was scared. She was afraid that if the people of New York would see her, they would think she's a freak because she's a humanoid butterfly and the way she acts is a little strange because she hardly interacted with anyone. And what she wants more than anything are friends and appreciation. She wants to be loved for who she is, not for what someone wants her to be.

"You know Miss Butterfly.. you're not alone." James said.

Butterfly looks at the boy. "I am not?"

"Remember, the rest of the bugs are different too." James said. "But it doesn't mean any of you guys won't be loved."

Butterfly tries to force herself to smile. Smiling wasn't something she did much in her past. It was rare.

"You know Butterfly.." Centipede said. "I am gettin' to know why ya got mad when you first met me and the others."

The Italian butterfly looks up at the Brooklyn centipede and nods. "Yes Mr. Centipede. I do not know how to act right around others because of my family so when I first met you, I attacked because I was scared. My family has really... raised me badly."

Tears formed in her eyes. She felt so guilty. She did an awful first impression on the bugs. From trying to attack Centipede into when Mr. Grasshopper tried to act kind and calm around her, she was confused because she never seen the act of kindness in her life. Kindness was so new to her that time that she acted as if being kind would be something someone from outer space would do. It was odd and different to her. Or was it that Butterfly was acted as if she was from a different planet? Acting completely odd and different towards the others. She felt horrible.

"Did you know that I did not even know what kindness was?" Butterfly asked. "I did not know how to act like it until I met Mr. Grasshopper and Mrs. Ladybug immediately. They were so kind to me, which gave me an odd but good feeling inside. They were the first to ever be kind to me."

This was odd to James. Butterfly, who seems to be an age of a young adult, did not know what kindness was, no one ever acted that way towards her, she didn't know to act like it at first and never even interacted with others much other than her family. James never met anyone like that.

"I didn't know that.." James said.

Butterfly just nods. She couldn't find much to say herself.

James had one more question. The most painful one of all. The one he was scared of asking Butterfly without making her cry. But he asked it out of curiosity, "So... how did your family die exactly?"

Butterfly gasped when she heard the question. She had to tell sooner or later though. She decided to confess. She said now, but instead of in a calm voice she started getting angry. "Spiker and Sponge is why they died."

James and Centipede were shocked. They remember that a few days ago when they first met, Butterfly said she was horrified of James' aunts and said they killed her family, but they did not know how they died.

"It's when we traveled all the way from Italy to England." Butterfly started. "That was the first time we traveled to a different country, since we normally only flew around Italy. The reason we went there is because my father wanted to prove he can handle any place in the world. We have traveled a lot to places and returned home alive, but this was a deadly trip. When we arrived to England, we were in the hill where you and your aunts lived, James."

James and Centipede were listening real closely.

"My family and I were curious about you James." Butterfly said. "I have seen a lot of human beings before, but you were definitely my favorite. You were so kind, and your aunts.. ooh I hated them! They killed so many bugs, it disgusted me.. and the first of my family they killed was my mother."

James and Centipede were shocked at it. James asked this question now. "Th-the one who showed no support for you?"

Butterfly nods. "Correct honey. My mother wanted to find you James, to see you with her own eyes. But as soon as she makes it to Spiker and Sponge's house... SWAT!"

Her yell made James and Centipede jump.

Butterfly sighed and hoped she didn't wake up the others. There was no sign of the others so she continued. "She was swatted by your aunts, swatted to death."

James felt bad. Just like himself, Butterfly has lost her mother. Just like him, she is an orphan.

Butterfly then continues. "After hearing the news, father, who was also madly in love with mother, blamed her death on me. He has so much disagreement towards me that he acts as if even the things that were not my fault were my fault."

"That's not fair at all!" Centipede said. "Why would he do that?"

"I do not know." Butterfly sighed. "Next up were my sisters. Every single one of the girls have died. They have tried to make their escape out of England but as soon as Spiker and Sponge found them outside, they got swatted. Every single one of the girls. It was unbelievable."

"I'm so sorry Miss Butterfly." James said.

Centipede was feeling awful. He was rude to her when they first met, and he didn't have much of an idea with everything that has happened to her.

"And finally, my father." Butterfly said as she finishes the story. "The day I see the giant peach, before that my father and I plan to escape. Oh how he hated that I had to tag along, and how my sisters and mother died and the one who remained was his least favorite in the family, me. When Spiker and Sponge were inside the kitchen later on after he and I sneaked into the house, father has told me about escaping. I disagreed with him, which made him angry with me. He has yelled at me, called me a worthless girl and wished I was never born."

That sounded horrible to James and Centipede. Her father wishing his own daughter was never born? That was by far harsh. They then both notice the tears rolling on Butterfly's cheeks as she continued.

"Father decides to leave himself and I try to stop him. I grab him by his wings, which got him so furious he knocked me down and flew off and Spiker and Sponge saw him and tried to swat him. I tried to save him myself because if I lost him, I really would have no one. But I was too late..."

James and Centipede knew where this was going.

"They swatted him to his death." Butterfly confessed. "I almost died that day too because Sponge tried to kill me with a kitchen knife. I escaped through I window but.."

Butterfly then reveals the scar she has in her side, which causes the boys to jump and stare at it in a horrified way. "Sponge cut me with her kitchen knife as I flew out of the window. It does not hurt as much as before and I am fine, but I do not know if it is permanent."

She then covers up her scar and then finishes the story completely. "I was flying around in circles, out of control due to the pain I had. I crashed into a tree close to the giant peach and as soon as I lay on the ground, I have started crying. Later on that day, I felt hungry and the only thing I was able to find were these odd green things."

"The crocodile tongues..." James gasped.

"I did eat one, yes." Butterfly said. "As soon as I did, I became huge. The only place to hide was in the giant peach. That is where I met everyone."

Butterfly looks down and sighs after she finished her story. "Father was right. Nobody will ever like me."

"That's wrong." James said. "You got us."

James gives the butterfly a hug. It warmed her heart. She wraps her four arms around the boy with as much kindness as she can give. "Is this what people do out of kindness? The wrapping arms around others?"

She wasn't familiar with hugs. She was intelligent due to knowing many things, but the things she never learned was about kindness and hugs. She knew what they were, but she didn't know what they were called.

"It's called hugs." James smiled.

"H-hugs?" Butterfly asked. "I am not familiar with them, but I do like them."

"I'm glad so."

Butterfly then asks a question out of curiosity. "Am I not smart to you, James?"

"Of course you are smart!" James said. "You're just not used to things such as kindness and hugs because of your family."

"There is something I am very used to, since I have seen it a lot before." she then looks at Centipede and laughs.

"What are you laughin' about?" he asked, getting annoyed.

"It is love." Butterfly said. "I know about you and Miss Spider."

Centipede blushed now. "W-what do you know about.. l-love?"

"I may not be used to many things, but I have seen it between humans before. I know love when I see it." Butterfly smiles lightly. "You and Miss Spider have some chemistry."

Blushing more than ever, Centipede stops the conversation. "Well okay.."

He then realized he looks at Butterfly in a new way. He got to know about her past and knows why she's so strange. He decides to try to get along with her easier. "You know.. I am glad you came along to this journey."

"I am glad you did too Centipede," Butterfly said, warming up to him more. "I really am."


End file.
